hygiene

Routine Dental Checkups

Routine dental checkups are vital to good oral hygiene and are the best way to detect problems at their earliest stages. Early detection and treatment saves unnecessary discomfort, time and money.

The Academy of General Dentistry recommends checkups twice a year. Oral hygiene needs change with age and the condition of your teeth and gums. Your dentist may recommend a checkup schedule that is more or less frequent than twice a year.

Visual Examination

During a visual exam, your dentist will use an intraoral camera with sophisticated magnification and lighting to see all surface areas inside your mouth. You will be able to watch the real-time, tooth-by-tooth video exam on your chairside monitor.

Your dentist looks not only for cracked and decayed teeth, but also for growths and sores on the roof and floor of your mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and the mucous membranes that line your cheeks and gums. Then your dentist will check the lymph nodes of your head, jaw and neck for pain, tenderness and flexibility.

Digital Diagnostics

Digital X-rays: Digital X-rays detect dental problems that cannot be found during a visual exam. We use Digital X-rays that provide instant results and emit 90 percent less radiation. Your dentist determines how often you need to have Digital X-rays.

3D Imaging: Three-dimensional imaging technology determines the precise position and shape of each tooth. Your dentist will determine whether the use of this technology is appropriate to aid the development of a dental treatment plan or to follow the progress of your dental treatment.

Daily tooth brushing and flossing remove food debris and plaque from the gingival pocket. If not removed, harmful bacteria penetrate the gumline and deepen the pocket.

As the depth of a gingival pocket increases, so does the risk of tooth damage and infection that leads to gum disease.

During your exam, a hand-held instrument is gently placed between gums and teeth (sulcus) to measure the depth of each pocket.

In its earliest stage, gum disease may be reversible. Since it rarely has symptoms of pain, it is possible to have gum disease and not know it.

Professional Cleaning

Your teeth are cleaned using special instruments to remove plaque from above and below the gumline. Afterwards, your teeth are polished. Tooth polishing makes your teeth look and feel great. It also smoothes tooth surfaces so plaque is less likely to accumulate.

Electronic Dental Records

The records of our patients' dental checkups, diagnostics and treatments are kept electronically. Our patients benefit because our dentists and specialists have immediate, comprehensive access to medical histories as well as the results of previous and current exams, diagnostics, treatment plans and progress reports. Electronic dental records improve patient safety and create clinical efficiencies that help reduce patient waiting time before and during appointments.

Good Oral Hygiene

The key to healthy teeth and gums is keeping plaque and food decay from building up in your mouth. Plaque and food decay attract harmful bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease and persistent bad breath.

Your tongue attracts bacteria, too. During the normal process of eating, tiny fragments of food collect on your tongue. As these fragments decay, bacteria create a filmy white coating on the top of your tongue.

Practice the four-step routine to keep plaque and harmful bacteria from building up in your mouth.

Easy Four-Step Routine

To keep your teeth and gums healthy:

Brush your teeth and use an antiseptic mouthwash twice daily (after breakfast and before bedtime)

Use dental floss daily

Clean your tongue regularly by using a toothbrush or a tongue scraper

See your dentist for routine dental checkups

Benefits of Good Hygiene

When you practice good oral hygiene, you will:

Have less plaque to remove during routine dental checkups, so professional cleanings will be faster and more comfortable

Infants & Small Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child's first visit to the dentist be around age three unless any of these dental health risk factors exist:

Sleeping with a cup or bottle

Thumb sucking

Teeth staining

Down Syndrome

Children's Oral Hygiene

When your child's teeth begin to erupt, wipe them daily with a moist washcloth to remove tooth plaque.

As your child grows more teeth, use a soft child's toothbrush with non-fluoride toothpaste (like Baby OraGel) until your child is able to spit out the toothpaste.

When your child is ready to use fluoridated toothpaste, use only a small pea-size amount on the toothbrush. Swallowing too much fluoridated toothpaste can lead to staining of children's teeth (dental fluorosis).

Connect

*Regular value of at least $290. In absence of gum (periodontal) disease. New patients only. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Coupon must be presented at appointment. Limit 1 per patient. Subject to insurance restrictions; cannot be applied to insurance co-payments. Not valid for appointments with pediatric dentist.

**$50 off when a patient donates $25 or more to the Special Olympics of Texas. Maximum discount of $50 off. Monetary donations can be made at Hill Country Dentists or online at https://sotx-reg.brtapp.com/HillCountryDentists; receipt required to show proof of donation. Donations accepted between 08/01/19 and 09/30/19. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Coupon must be presented at appointment. Subject to insurance restrictions; cannot be applied to insurance co-payments or deductible. Limit 1 per patient. Excludes cleaning, exam, Digital X-rays, root planing and scaling and/or periodontal maintenance, and orthodontics. Excludes general anesthesia. Not valid for appointments with pediatric dentist, orthodontist, periodontist, endodontist or oral surgeon. AZ, CO, ID, and NM Delta Dental members: valid toward cosmetic dentistry only. No cash redemption value. If full value is not redeemed, no credit value. Offer expires 9/30/19.